"Lessons From 'Star Trek: Picard' – A Cybersecurity Expert Explains How a Sci-Fi Series Illuminates Today's Threats"
Richard Forno, Principal Lecturer in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, emphasizes that the general public's understanding of technology and cybersecurity is often founded on simple stereotypes and sensationalized media portrayals. Forno has written about entertaining but misleading scenarios, such as black-clad teenage hackers navigating megacities and challenging corporate villains. However, Forno says that Hollywood sometimes depicts reality in entertaining and educational ways, which is important because everyone shares many of the same cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities. As a former practitioner in the cybersecurity industry and current researcher in the field, Forno considers the final season of "Star Trek: Picard" to be the most recent example of entertainment media imparting valuable lessons about cybersecurity. This article continues to discuss Forno's views on how "Star Trek: Picard" relates to cybersecurity.